To the sound of sweet music from the organ, Silje Schyttelvik Pedersen (25) walks up the aisle in Vågå church. She and Haakon Høiberg (30) have been lovers for almost 10 years. Now they are finally getting married. – Haakon has been talking about us getting married for six years now, but I have felt far too young. Now I’m jumping into it, says Silje and looks over at her boyfriend who will now become her husband. – I agreed in the end, smiles Haakon. THE LAST PREPARATIONS: Your hair must be beautiful when you are getting married. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news JUST BEFORE: Silje is ready to say yes. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news But they are not alone in the church on Valentine’s Day. Six other couples were married there on the same day. The church offers a drop-in wedding – a slightly shorter, simpler and more spontaneous version of the traditional wedding. Difficult to top SIlje thought a drop-in wedding at her hometown was perfect. – Also on Valentine’s Day itself – a day I value incredibly highly. It felt so special that we just had to go for it, smiles Silje. FAST DONE: The ceremony goes quickly, but it does not exceed the wedding magic, says the parish priest. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news Although the wedding went quickly, the excited bride and groom felt the seriousness of it. – I have been very stressed today. There have been many drug breaks and a lot of coffee drinking, Haakon chuckles and quickly adds that he thinks the ceremony went very well. The two think it’s fun to do something a little special and unconventional. – Now we are thinking about how we can overcome this, laughs Haakon. MARRIED COUPLE: Newly married Haakon and Silje together with their children Sophie and Lucas. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news Must have the papers in order It is free to get married in the church where you live, if at least one of the couple is a member of the Church of Norway. Parish priest Cynthia S. Renaa had been looking forward to consecrating the couples. She says that many people appreciated the offer: – We have found that there are some wishes to have a slightly shorter ceremony instead of a big wedding, so those who wanted to get married on Valentine’s Day had the opportunity to drop in. WEDDING MAGIC: – The magic lies in the love they have for each other, regardless of how one chooses to do it, says the parish priest. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news However, the couples could not come completely unannounced. To get married, you have to have the papers in order in advance, says Renaa. In order to get married, one must arrange a test certificate and fiance’s declaration on the Tax Agency’s website. As soon as it’s in order, you can get married – and with a drop-in wedding, it’s done quickly. – Many enjoyed this, so it is certainly something we will repeat, says parish priest Renaa. Student love ends in marriage for one in six Several places in the country It is not just in Vågå that people make use of the offer. According to the Church of Norway, at least 34 couples spontaneously said yes to each other on 14 February. One of the ten congregations in the country that has opened its doors for drop-in weddings on Valentine’s Day is Ås Church. – It may sound a bit like Las Vegas, and not everyone likes the term drop-in, but the experience is that people take their wedding seriously and have thought about it for a long time, says Kjerstin Jensen, provost of Å’s church joint council. She says that they want to show that the wedding can be carried out quite simply, but just as big. Parish priest Henny Koppen thinks the same, as today via three brides and grooms in Stryn church. FIX DONE: Parish priest Henny Koppen says that they arrange everything for the weddings. The only thing the couples have to do is get the papers in order. Photo: Gunnhild Sindre / Fjordingen – Some people think that getting married is both expensive and time-consuming. Drop-in is free of charge, and you don’t need to plan too much. Here you can come on the day, she says. – We arrange everything from the wedding march, witnesses, wedding cake and coffee, she adds. Drop-in weddings were also popular in Grong Church. Only one couple got married throughout last year – but on Valentine’s Day this year, five couples went to the altar. In addition to Vågå, Ås, Stryn and Grong, you could get married spontaneously in Greverud, Agder, Ringerike, Jevnaker, Ulstein, Moland, Mandal and Romerike. NEWLY MARRIED: Although Silje and Haakon have now taken the plunge and married, the couple do not think anything will change. Photo: Geir Olav Slåen / news – Now the wedding day will be on Valentine’s Day, so it won’t be so easy to forget, jokes Haakon. Historic ceremony: Elin and Stein are the first to do this in Norway
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